


Latte

by Eien_Cham



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Barista AU, Budding Romance, F/F, Inspired by Fanart, Purely Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 01:50:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8184508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eien_Cham/pseuds/Eien_Cham
Summary: A slip of the mouth is the start of things some times.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the short comic: 72648.tumblr.com/post/140401962695.  
> Given permission by artist to write a Lapidot version of it!
> 
> Hope you guys like it!

Because of the shortage in staff in the morning rush, she had to cover the need and be cashier and barista at the same time. This was the first time Lapis was able to be behind the cash register. Luckily, this morning rush wasn’t as bad.

The moment the door swung open and the bell that was attached atop the door rang, Lapis put on a smile. _Right on time._

The small woman queued behind the line that was beginning to dwindle down as the morning rush hour was nearing its length. Lapis could feel the woman’s gaze on her as she rung up the order of the customers before her.

* * *

The first time that the woman came in the café, Lapis took notice of her.

She was short, a set of serious eyes and a face that looked like it was made for goofy expressions. Her blonde colored hair was wild, pointed in directions as if it were trying to make a triangle. Lapis took note of the big smile that grew on her face and the tiny gesture that seemed like a nod.

Wondering why somebody would be that happy early in the morning, she forgot about her occupation.

“Lazuli! Are the drinks ready?”

Lapis was brought back by the urgency and annoyance heard in her co-worker’s voice. She took her eyes off the woman who began to line up behind the people and quickly picked up where she slacked.

When she looked up from her work, Lapis caught the woman staring at her before she grew wide-eyed and turned to look at the various paintings hung on the wall.

Since then, Lapis has never made eye-contact with her.

Partly because the woman kept on averting her gaze as soon as eye contact was established.

Lapis began to notice that she continued to come every day from then on – always at eight in the morning, sharp. She had noticed the woman developed a routine.

It was the same since the first time she came in.

The woman would enter, queue up and stare at her while she worked, barely looks at her while she orders two shots of expresso and a banana-nut muffin, sit down and type furiously in her laptop for about 20 minutes, then leave.

* * *

Lapis snapped her attention back to the present when she realize it was finally the shorter woman’s turn to order.

“Hello!” Lapis hoped she didn’t sound too happy. “What would you like today?”

Before the woman could say anything, Lapis already began to punch in the buttons for the order of two shots of expresso and a banana-nut muffin.

“I would like y-your number.” A mutter came from the short woman’s lips.

Lapis stopped pressing buttons.

_Did I hear her right?_

“I’m sorry,” Lapis gave a small smile. “I didn’t hear you.”

“A l-latte as my order!” A shade of red crept on the woman’s face as she gave a look of someone who was caught doing something bad. “I said I would like a latte as my order!”

She practically shouted it.

“Got it.” _Something new_. Lapis kept smiling as she deleted the order she already punched in and processed her new order. “And may I have a name for the order?”

“Peridot.”

Her name was Peridot.

 _It strangely fits her._ Lapis smiled as she finished ringing up the order. Grateful that there were no other customers behind Peridot, she turned to work on the drink she ordered. “Your order will be out shortly, Peridot.”

The name just rolled smoothly on her tongue.

She grabbed a paper-foam cup from the stack near the coffee grinder and a permanent marker that was nearby and scribbled on the cup.

Lapis wrote down her own name with a strange symbol that resembled a water drop – a sorry attempt in stopping herself from drawing a heart.

She wrote her phone number.

And she wrote a questioning, ‘ _Friday_?’

The whole time, Lapis kept smiling. _What a way to give your number away_.

* * *

“Latte for Peridot!” Lapis called out, reaching over the counter and to hand the woman her drink. “Enjoy your drink!”

“Y-yeah, thanks.” Peridot wasn’t looking at her direction. Her arm was outstretched, moving around trying to find the drink.

Lapis almost snorted and moved her hand so that Peridot’s fingers touched the cup. The woman quickly wrapped her hand around the cup as Lapis let go of it.

Peridot immediately scurried towards the door of the café rather than going to the seat by the window like she usually would.

Lapis was going to call after her but the she was already outside and her voice was drowned out by the ringing of the bell attached to the door.

She could still see the shorter woman through the café window.

Peridot sighed, looking a bit dejected. Her steps were small and hesitant.

Lapis was about to call over her co-worker to cover her shift for a bit so that she could run after the woman when she saw that Peridot finally saw what she had written on the cup.

She saw a wide smile form on Peridot’s face. The woman looked so animated, as if someone had just brought her back to life. She continued to watch from inside the café as the shorter woman now walked with a bounce, a silly grin on her face.

When she no longer could see her through the window, Lapis eased and leaned on the counter. The face that Peridot had made was too precious. She couldn’t help but laugh at what just happened. Lapis never imagined that this would be how she would give her number away, much less be how their first interaction would be like, aside from the mutual stares.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Looking around the café and seeing that nobody needed to be serviced, she took her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it.

There was a new text message from an unknown number.

When she had read the text, Lapis felt her cheeks go hot as she herself put on a silly grin. She didn't expect an answer so soon. Even though she didn’t know the number, she knew who it belonged to because of the content.

**Unknown:**  
[ _Friday would be great!_ ]

Lapis replied to the text, saved the new number in her phone-book and returned her phone into her pocket.

The rest of the week, Lapis happily worked humming tunes here and there.

She was looking forward to Friday.


End file.
